Last Bastion Records Launch –

A brand new, specialist vinyl record label, Last Bastion Records has launched

At the helm is Andy Bellwood, who has been involved with various music scenes for 44 years. Last Bastion Records is named after his first co-promotion nights. The closure of the Roxy and Vortex provided a regular night for live punk bands in London during 1978; these operated under the name of Last Bastion and ran for just over six months with the majority of the gigs being sell-outs.

Inevitably his passion for music led to Andy collecting records, his wide and varied taste embracing Northern Soul, rare soul and beyond. He currently broadcasts a weekly radio show, Andy Bellwood's Eclectic Soul Show, which is also available via Mixcloud.

As Andy explained, Last Bastion aims to be a unique presence. “My wife, Denise, came up with the basic idea of a record label during 2021. I've developed the idea, arriving at Last Bastion Records, which will be distributed and marketed through Dizzy Holmes' Detour Records. The concept is to release three or four singles a year, on high-quality vinyl with stunning picture sleeves, which have been unreleased on 45, or vinyl, or even previously unreleased in any format. Also, all the releases will be soulful, without necessarily being soul, so a mixture of diverse, eclectic music spanning across all soulful subgenres, making Last Bastion releases unique. The first Last Bastion release is set for January 2022.”

Getting Last Bastion Records off to a flying start is a 2004 re-recording of Lou Pride's I'm Com'un Home in the Morn'un. First released on the tiny Texas Suemi label, it's remained an evergreen favourite on the Northern Soul scene, with collectors paying £7k to own an original copy. Still dark and moody, the 2004 take is slightly slower paced than the original, allowing the bluesier elements of Lou's soulful, gravelly, drawling vocals to come to the fore. The full-length CD album track features on the flipside of the single, while a shorter edit features on the topside.

The second Last Bastion single, set for a February release, is a double header featuring Steve Marriott on both sides. Lonely No More is a collaboration between Steve Marriott along with his Small Faces and Immediate Records song-writing partner, Ronnie ‘Plonk' Lane.

Steve teams up with PP Arnold for a storming cover of Some Kinda Wonderful, with sleeve notes being penned by John Hellier. The third single, due in March, will see Con Funk Shun with their Cajun-funk flavoured, soulful reworking of Curtis Mayfield's timeless Move On Up paired with the debut release from York-based nu-soul singer Jay Cee.

All Last Bastion releases will be available via the Detour Records website. www.shop.detourrecords.co.uk